Michigan State basketball faces its first Big Ten foe of the season on Tuesday and it might be without a key player.
Michigan State basketball opens Big Ten play on Tuesday night against Wisconsin, and we could be doing so without one of our better players. It was reported on Monday that forward Malik Hall has not practiced since Friday. Thankfully he is not injured and it is nothing serious as he has just had the flu.
This, however, could have major implications on a big game against Wisconsin.
Impact of potentially missing Malik Hall
It’s no secret how detrimental it would be to our team if Hall is unable to play. He has been, in my opinion, our second-best player this year behind only Tyson Walker. Hall has started all seven games so far this season and is averaging 9.9 points on 48.1% shooting as well as 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. None of these numbers jump off the stat sheet, but Hall does many things for us that don’t show up on the stat sheet.
One common thing amongst our team this season has been making dumb mistakes. Whether it be silly turnovers or missing easy shots, we have seen it all this year. Hall however is typically not one of the players making those mistakes. That is something you expect from a fifth-year season and Hall has been excellent at that. He is one of the leaders of this team, and his intangibles are something we would miss badly if he can’t play against Wisconsin.
Will Hall play?
If I had to make my best guess, I would say that Hall will play against Wisconsin. If he was sick beginning Friday, I think Tuesday is plenty of time to recover and be ready to go. Especially if the team is “hoping he’ll practice today (Monday)” then that is a good sign.
How many minutes Hall will get is probably the better question. Limited practice time while being sick likely means fewer minutes than Malik usually gets. I think he might even come off the bench instead of starting. Others will have to step up in his place and I think Coen Carr is the best option for Tom Izzo to turn to. Carr has been very solid to start his career, and I would even be comfortable giving him the start if Malik comes off the bench.
No matter what happens, I just hope Malik is able to play. His presence on the floor is critical for this team, even if he isn’t 100 percent. Hall greatly increases our chances of beating Wisconsin, and because of that reason alone, I think he needs to play.
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